Naamon
Naamon is the rat headed god of the harvest and plague. He is the son of Shengrae and the half-brother of Hadar. Aspects The Reaper This aspect of Naamon is one of the most commonly worshipped gods in Varuna, shrines of some sort or another are present wherever agriculture takes place and prayers are commonly given to Naamon before meals to thank him for the bounty granted. The Reaper is the god of the Harvest, not only of crops but in all things, in this way he could be considered the god of consequences, "you reap what you sow", it is as true for a bountiful crop from a well maintained field as it is for a salted land where nothing will grow forevermore. Prayers to Naamon as the Reaper are not appeals to mercy or for favour but part of a cycle, a pattern of rudimentary laws where a failure to pray at the right time for a good harvest binds Naamon not to deliver one even the god himself having no choice in the matter, the same follows when The Reaper is wronged, the curse that follows is permanent and irrevocable and the consequences fall where they will on guilty and innocent alike, it was from such a curse that the race of Vampires is said to have been created as it was with all the plagues of the world. Followers of the Reaper prefer that the consequences of an action be its own punishment and can seem as forgiving as they are uncaring in this regard. The Priests of The Reaper are often elders in rural villages and the like, handing out judgements in informal courts as easily as they hand out advice and practices for ensuring good harvests both of the land and in life. They also conduct weddings, as with all matters regarding the Reaper there is a set time in the year for these marriages to take place and all the followers that fall under a single priests purview must be married on this day, the ceremony incorporates a ritualised form of advice giving from the priest and those getting married must plant a tree which they must tend to, failure to do so supposedly dooms the marriage and any children it produces. Worshippers include farmers, judges, the wary and truly all manner of common folk. The Furtive Prince The Furtive Prince is the god of small and routine acts of good and heroism and the patron god of healers. Where other gods may demand great services and sacrifices the Furtive Prince respects the chains of fear, humility and weakness that can bind even the most faithful of followers. The Furtive Princes worship involves three expectations of the Prince: First is the expectation to at least try to do some good. Second is the expectation of humility in your achievements, this follows from the first as it seeks not to diminish smaller achievements in others. The third is more specific, it proscribes the protection and care of rats, this follows from the first and second pillars, the care of something smaller than you is a small act of good which requires humility and patience before the lesser creature. The faith considers rats holy animals and venerates their tendency to flee the approach of creatures, disappearing into corners and hiding between walls and floorboards, they believe that those that can befriend and care for rats can through the grace of Naamon become party to their secrets and discoveries. The expectation of small and servile good is ideally suited to the practice of medicine which can treat even the saving of anothers life as simply doing ones job, although Naamon can more directly provide priests with magical means of healing the faithful also believe that The Furtive Prince sends rats to guide his followers to cures and balms that can be found in nature. Though the lack of priesthood and need to construct formal temples allows the faith to proliferate easily, it's tendency to preserve plague bearing and food consuming animals is not welcomed in many lands, the faithful believe that Naamon prevents his rats from spreading disease to those that care for them and that therefore the care for rats prevents disease in settlements. Prayers to the Furtive Prince are unique as they do not require prostration, kneeling or bowing of the head, nor any kind of ritual, rather it is taught that they should be intentionally conversational but polite. Worshippers of the Furtive Prince can include healers of all kinds, pacifists, community minded gossips, good hearted cowards and all those who live under an oppressive rule who can appreciate the latitude that the Furtive Prince gives them to do good without braving cruel punishment. Category:Deities